


The Beginning

by two_on_a_tower



Series: Hogwarts & Downton Abbey [1]
Category: Downton Abbey, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-13
Updated: 2016-02-13
Packaged: 2018-05-20 04:52:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,228
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5992264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/two_on_a_tower/pseuds/two_on_a_tower
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Thomas Barrow and Jimmy Kent and the Hogwarts Express.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Beginning

IN THE DAYS of high-necked and auburn-coloured cloaks, when the vast amount of show duels going on in the country was a cause of delight, there lived in a village near Godric’s Hollow two men. The elder was a Mr Barrow, a clerk at Cogg and Bell Clockmakers, and the other was his only son Thomas.

Thomas was cream-faced with a dark shock of hair. His eyes were honest and inquiring and his mouth cleanly cut, whereby his thin lips seemed to smirk constantly. Some people said that this was very attractive. He was slender for a boy of eleven– and clever. His cleverness, however, was hidden behind his lips which he only opened in moments of anger and mockery. 

He wore black trousers and a black shirt under his black cloak. His father, Mr Barrow, tried to change this more than once, but after Mrs Barrow had died a year ago, the son refused to wear anything else.

At this particular moment, both were sitting opposite of each other at a small wooden table in their kitchen. The room was only illuminated by two candles hovering in the air as the sun hadn’t risen yet.

‘We’ll use floo powder. It’s fast and effective,’said the father and nodded. ‘I mean, I did the same some years ago.’  
‘Some years,’ the boy snorted before he said: ‘You don’t have to bring me, you know. I’ve already used floo powder and I know how to find platform 9 ¾. Mother has told me everything,’ he added after a beat. His father nodded again. He knew all this, and yet he was afraid to let his only son go. How empty this house would be.  
‘I will miss you. And I’m sure that you’ll miss your home – don’t deny it, boy – therefore, I want you to take Molesley with you.’ The father stood up and grabbed the black cat with the white spot on his head, tickled his ear and whispered a short ‘good-bye’ before he handed it over.  
‘Are you sure?’ Thomas asked, ‘Won’t you miss him, too?’  
‘Of course, I will, but I’m glad that somebody will look after you.’ His father winked waggishly, and for a moment Thomas simply wished to stay home, but he merely said thank-you and grabbed his suitcase.  
‘It’s time to go, father.’  
‘Yes, it is,’ he agreed after looking at the orange horizon. ‘And you’re sure that you don’t want me with you. I could help you carry Molesley!? He is a bit chubby, isn’t he?’  
The boy shook his head.  
‘No, thank you, father. It is time for me to grow up and— to grasp the mantle.’  
As Thomas placed his suitcase into the fireplace, he stirred some of the cold ash up.  
‘Come on, Molesley,’ he whispered and took the cat under his arm. With the other hand, he took a pinch of the silvery powder his father held out to him.  
‘Good-bye, father,’ he said, followed by a determined, ‘King’s Cross!’ As the powder left his hand, emerald green flooded the room and only after the light went out, it was evident that the boy was indeed gone.

-

It was loud. And crowded. Fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters, grandparents – they all seemed to be out and about going all in the same direction.  
‘Platform 9 ¾,’ murmured Thomas as he got out of the chimney. Molesley, who didn’t like crowded places, jumped on Thomas’s shoulders and remained seated as the boy shouldered his way through the crowd.  
‘Excuse me, could I… yes, thank you. Oh, sorry.’  
As he finally reached the platform he was speechless. Of course, his mother had told him everything about the black and red train, the ‘Hogwarts Express’, but to see it, to smell the steam and to hear the soft mechanic sounds made it real.  
‘Wow,’ he whispered, but only Molesley, who held on the boy’s shoulders for dear life, could hear him. Suddenly, something pressed painfully into his back, but as Thomas looked down he could only see blond hair.  
‘Oh, excuse me,’ said the boy who belonged to the blond hair. ‘I’m in a hurry.’ And off he went. 

‘What an idiot,’ mumbled Thomas. ‘Too stupid to see – and hopefully too stupid to stay at school for more than a year.’  
The cat purred in agreement and rubbed his head against Thomas' neck.  
‘You’re right. Let’s go and find a seat.’ Fortunately, most of the children were still outside chatting with their parents, and so Thomas soon found an empty compartment.  
‘Nice place,’ he said, placing his suitcase on one of the seats and Molesley on another before he sat down on the red seat near the window. He closed his eyes for a moment and listened to the soft mechanic sound, and smelled the steam. This was real.  
‘Are you sleeping?’ Thomas jumped involuntarily.  
‘What? No,’ he said looking at the blond boy he met just a couple of minutes before.  
‘Ok,’ the boy said nonchalantly, ‘Is this seat taken?’ He pointed to the only seat left, the one opposite of Thomas.  
‘No, obviously not,’ Thomas said. The blonde boy smiled, placed his suitcase on top of Thomas’ and sat down.  
‘My name is Jimmy, by the way. Jimmy Kent.’  
‘Thomas.’  
‘Great, Thomas. It’s nice to meet you. Who is that?’ He pointed to the cat who pretended to sleep.  
‘Molesley.’  
‘Oh, may I pet him?’  
‘No.’  
‘What a pity.’ The boy, Jimmy, sighed, but apparently he couldn’t be silent and soon his voice filled the room again.  
‘It’s your first year, isn’t it?’  
‘Yes, how do you know?’ Thomas asked before he pressed his lips into a thin line again.  
‘Just a guess. I mean, I’m really good at guessing.’ He smiled again. ‘So how was your meeting with Mr Ollivander? I got my wand very fast, fortunately, but he still crept me out, the old weirdo.’ In the meantime, the boy went to his suitcase, opened it and fetches his own wand.  
‘8 ¼ inches long, made of hornbeam wood, and had a dragon heartstring core. Cool, isn’t it. Can I see your wand?’  
Thomas raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms. His lips already formed a sharp ‘No!’, but to his surprise, he said ‘yes’.  
‘Great,’ Jimmy answered looking at him expectantly as Thomas reached into his cloak and fetched his wand.  
‘10¾" long, made of vine wood, and possessed a dragon heartstring core.’  
‘We have the same core’ exclaimed Jimmy, ‘Do you think it is from the same dragon?’  
‘Don’t know. Probably not.’ Thomas put his wand into his cloak again.  
‘Have you already tried a spell?’ Jimmy leaned forward and smiled. ‘I have. Would you like to see it?’ However, before Thomas could answer, the train began to move.  
‘Oh, is it already eleven o’clock? Nice!’ The spell seemed to be forgotten.  
‘Have you said good-bye to your parents?’ asked Thomas as he observed Jimmy who had his gaze fixed on the waving parents, ‘You still have some minutes before the platform is out of sight.’  
‘Ehm, yes, yes. I have. I mean, I came alone. And you? Have you?’

Thomas nodded, but somehow he felt as if something wasn’t right. At this moment, however, he couldn’t place a finger on it, and so he sat back, preparing himself for the two-hour conversation that was ahead of him.


End file.
